I start tech companies, I create tech, and I have strong opinions. Occasionally I’m right.

Oct 21, 2016

My Picks for the 2016 General Election

Yes I did it, I read every ballot initiative and the arguments for and against. Here are my picks. Yours may vary. If you do nothing else please don’t vote based on 30 seconds ads and misleading junk mail.

President

Hillary Clinton. Duh! I’ve met her, several times, had dinner in her home. She’s smart, capable, knows the issues inside out and backwards, knows how Washington and the world work. She’s the most qualified candidate by an order of magnitude.

Trump is dangerous, he has no coherent positions, he wants to lock up his opponents, he dislikes the 1st amendment, and he can be provoked by a tweet. The 3rd party candidates are both irrational on key issues. This election is too important for a protest vote.

Senate

Kamala Harris. I wish she were replacing Feinstein and not Boxer but we can’t have everything.

House

Nancy Pelosi. I like Nancy, she’s done a good job for San Francisco and for the country.

State Senate

Scott Wiener. Not the most liberal candidate but the most sensible. He’ll do a good job.

Assembly

Phil Ting

California State Ballot Initiatives

This years crop of state and local ballot initiatives show why ballot initiatives are a terrible idea. Many exist because some past ballot initiative says they have to. Many more seek to end run our elected officials but carving out budgets in response to short term events. Others are plays by industry to mislead the populace.

My default position on Ballots is NO. So it has to be either a really good idea or be something that we’re forced to vote on before I’ll consider voting yes. I don’t like budget carve-outs. I don’t like ballot measures trying to fix short term problems with permanent charter or constitution changes. I don’t like political grandstanding via initiatives (I’m looking at you Gavin Newsom) and most of all I don’t like ballots initiatives funded by people serving their own interest with misleading titles.

I highly recommend Ballotpedia for background information on ballots, who is for and against and who is paying for them.

California Proposition 51, Public School Facility Bonds (2016)

N I’m voting against this one becasue. It’s funded by developers. It gives developers a special break of paying for it. It doesn’t focus the money where it’s most needed

Y This one promotes increased transparency by requiring the legislature to publish bills 72hrs before they vote. Some of the worst legislation in history has been rushed through (think USA Patriot Act at the federal level). Yes on 54.

Y This one does two things. It puts decisions about who should be tried as an adult into the hands of judges instead of prosecutors. It undoes some of the damage done by the law and order kick voters went on in the 90’s by getting non violent offenders out of prison.

No opinion. Citizens United is a federal law decision and white it’s terrible law a vague, feel good, ballot measure asking legislators to work to overturn it is not going to change anything either way. Waste of time.

California Proposition 60, Condoms in Pornographic Films (2016)

N One of the weird things about living in San Francisco is I know half a dozen porn stars. They say no on this one. Looking into it further it’s funded entirely by Aids Healthcare Foundation, who opposed PrEP despite the science. This is more about Michael Weinstein’s crusade to make condoms the only acceptable STI prevention option than it is performer safety.

California Proposition 61, Drug Price Standards (2016)

N This is another one of Aids Healthcare Foundations attempts to micro manage the state according to their worldview. It’s unclear if it will actually save any money and becasue it’s a ballot initiative it will be very hard to undo if it has negative consequences.

California Proposition 62, Repeal of the Death Penalty (2016)

Y The death penalty is a terrible idea. It costs more money than life without parole. There is no way to fix mistakes (and there have been mistakes.) It doesn’t actually deter crime. It’s time to get rid of it.

N This one is dumb. It will probably pass. Here is why it’s dumb. All it does it make law abiding gun owners jump through more hoops. It won’t reduce criminals access to guns. This initiative plays on a misguided belief that it will somehow make bullets rare. It won’t. What it will do is make it harder for people who want to shoot responsibly to train and maintain skills.

California Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization (2016)

Y This one is controversial among pot-heads. The no arguments seem to come down to “it won’t be a free for all any more”. I’m fine with that. There are enough protections for medical pot users to remove my worry there. We should legalize pot and move on.

California Proposition 66, Death Penalty Procedures (2016)

N No. No. No. This one makes it easier for the state to kill the wrong person. It’s supported by Pete Wilson which in itself should be enough to vote no.

California Proposition 67, Plastic Bag Ban Veto Referendum (2016)

Y The legislature did their job and passed a law, then the plastic bag industry got upset and put this veto measure on the ballot. Vote yes to uphold the free plastic bag ban.

And that’s it for state ballot measures. On to the local ones.

San Francisco Ballot Measures

So we have A through X, really, this is why enacting laws that require a ballot is a terrible idea. It sounds good in theory but in practice all it does is mean those with money can get their issue heard and the rest are SOL.